Decisions, decisions. We’re faced
with them every day. What to eat for dinner.
Who to vote for. Red or white wine. Should I stay or should I go?
Many
years ago, I was faced with a very difficult career decision. I had the choice
of staying in a safe, comfortable writing job or taking a more challenging
position where I’d either make a name for myself or be out on my ear very
quickly.
That
weekend, I couldn’t muster the confidence to make a final decision. Then,
driving to work Monday morning, I happened to hear “Wasted On The Way” by Crosby, Stills and Nash. The lyrics gave
me the mental shove I needed.
Oh,
when you were young
Did
you question all the answers
Did
you envy all the dancers
Who
had all the nerve?
Look
around you now
You
must go for what you wanted
Look
at all my friends who did
And
got what they deserved.
Unfortunately,
the oldies don’t contain the answers to all of life’s mysteries. But if you
listen closely, you might discover food for thought. There’s advice, social
commentary, observations about life and living. Proverbs and truisms. Bright
little gems you may have missed before.
So
next time you’re looking for a little inspiration, common sense or unbiased
guidance, don’t consult a shrink, Plato or tarot cards.
Just
turn on the radio.
Nobody’s
right if everybody’s wrong.
“For
What It’s Worth”
Buffalo
Springfield
You can’t please everyone
so you’ve got to please yourself.
“Garden Party”
Rick Nelson
No lover’s promise ever came with a maybe.
“Stars”
Simply Red
I took off my watch and found I had all the time in the
world.
“Time for
Living”
The
Association
Wake up and get your education
So you can keep your family alive.
Get away from negative situations.
They will only bring you a lot of frustration.
“Only the
Strong Survive”
Jerry
Butler
Why in the world are we here?
Surely not to live in pain and fear.
“Instant
Karma”
John Lennon
People say believe half of what you see,
and none of what you hear.
“I Heard It
Through The Grapevine”
Marvin Gaye
A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the
rest.
“The Boxer”
Simon and Garfunkel
God grant me the serenity to remember who I am.
“Games People Play”
Joe South
When I’m 33, I’ll quit. That’s
the time when a man has to do something else. I can’t say what it will
definitely be. I couldn’t bear to end up as an Elvis Presley and sing in Las
Vegas with all those housewives and old ladies coming in with their handbags.
It’s really sick.
-Mick
Jagger, 1972
What a drag it is getting old.
“Mother’s Little Helper”
The Rolling Stones
Don’t hang on. Nothing lasts forever but the earth and
sky.
It slips away. And all your money won’t another minute
buy.
“Dust In The Wind”
Kansas
Young and beautiful,
someday your looks will be gone.
“Love Will Keep Us Together”
The Captain
and Tennille
Lighten up while you still can.
“Take It
Easy”
The Eagles
Well it seems to me that you have seen
too much in too few years.
“19th
Nervous Breakdown”
The Rolling
Stones
Old Cody, Junior took me over
Said “You’re gonna find the world is smoulderin.”
If you get lost come on home to Green River.
“Green
River”
Creedence
Clearwater Revival
You can spend all your time making money,
you can spend all your love making time.
“Take It To
The Limit”
The Eagles
And you, of the tender years
Can’t know the fears
That your elders grew by.
“Teach Your
Children”
Crosby,
Stills, Nash and Young
For you know that it’s a fool
who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder.
“Hey Jude”
The Beatles
“There’s no time to lose,” I heard her say.
Catch your dreams before they slip away.
“Ruby
Tuesday”
The Rolling
Stones
They while away the hours
In their ivory towers
To be covered up with flowers
In the back of a black limosene.
“Games
People Play”
Joe South
Don’t trust your soul
to no backwoods Southern lawyer.
“The Night
The Lights Went Out In Georgia”
Vicki
Lawrence
All work and no play
has just cost me a wife.
“Take A
Letter Maria”
R.B.
Greaves
You shouldn’t let other people get your kicks for you.
"Like a Rolling Stone"
Bob Dylan
We are but a moment’s sunlight
fading in the grass.
“Get
Together”
The
Youngbloods
No matter what you do,
You’ll never get away from you.
“Kicks”
Paul Revere and the Raiders
Where life’s river flows
No one really knows
‘Til someone’s there to show the way
To lasting love.
“Everlasting
Love”
Carl
Carlton
Without love, where would you be now?
“Long Train
Running”
The Doobie
Brothers
When you believe in things
that you don’t understand
then you suffer.
Superstition ain’t the way.
“Superstition”
Stevie
Wonder
Oz never did give nothing to the Tinman that he didn’t already have.
“Tinman”
America
Love has a nasty habit of
disappearing overnight.
“I’m
Looking Through You”
The Beatles
Your ever-lastin summer, you can see it fadin’ fast,
So you grab a piece of something that you think is gonna
last.
“Reelin’ In
The Years”
Steely Dan
You, always contemplating happiness,
in case it should find you—
Can’t you see that it’s all around you?
“Pied
Piper”
Crispian
St. Peter
A friend will always be there
if you’re wrong, or if you’re right.
“I Wonder
What She’s Doing Tonight?”
Tommy Boyce
and Bobby Hart
But there never seems to be enough time
to do the things you want to do
once you find them.
“Time In A
Bottle”
Jim Croce
Hey farmer, farmer,
put away the D.D.T now,
Give me spots on my apples
But leave me the birds and bees.
“Big Yellow
Taxi”
Joni
Mitchell
• The more I see,
the less I know for sure. - John Lennon
When I was younger, so much younger than today
I never needed anybody’s help in anyway.
But now these days are gone, I’m not so self-assured.
Now I find I’ve changed my mind,
I’ve opened up the doors.
“Help”
The
Beatles
Do you only
care about the bleeding crowd,
how about a
needy friend?
“Easy
To Be Hard”
Three
Dog Night
It’s a
long, long road
from which
there is no return.
While we’re
on the way to there
why not
share?
“He
Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”
The
Hollies
Life is too
short to have sorrow.
We may be
here today and gone tomorrow.
“Tell
It Like It Is”
Aaron
Neville
You see,
war is not the answer
for only
love can conquer hate.
“What’s
Going On”
Marvin
Gaye
It’s so
easy to hurt others
when you
can’t feel pain.
“Rich
Girl”
Hall
and Oates
Q. What’s the smartest thing
you ever heard anybody in rock & roll say?
A. Be-bop-a-lula, she’s my baby. - Paul Simon
If I’d
never loved
I never
would have cried.
“I
Am A Rock”
Simon
and Garfunkle
Life is very short and there’s no time
for fussing
and fighting, my friend.
“We
Can Work It Out”
The
Beatles
No one can
tell what the future knows.
“This
Is It”
Kenny
Loggins
You may say
that I’m a dreamer.
But I’m not
the only one.
“Imagine”
John
Lennon
Now I’m not
the kind
to live in
the past.
The years
run too short,
and the
days too fast.
“Time
Passages”
Al
Stewart
You gotta
make your own kind of music,
sing your own
special song.
Even if
nobody else sings along.
“Make
Your Own Kind Of Music”
Mama
Cass
Yeah, city folk drivin in a black limousine,
A lotta sad people thinkin' that's mighty keen.
Thank
God I’m A Country Boy
John
Denver
And in the
end,
The love
you take
Is equal to
The love
you make.
“The
End”
The
Beatles
